Happy Birthday, Bernardo Bellotto!

Bernardo Bellotto

(1721- 1780)

Bernardo Bellotto (1721-1780) began his career in Venice, where he probably studied with his uncle, Canaletto (Antonio Canal), one of the best-known Italian view painters. By the age of twenty-five, Bellotto had achieved considerable success, having been commissioned to paint views of such cities as Venice, Florence, and Rome for Italian and other European patrons. His best view paintings combine precise topographical detail with a dramatic use of light and shade, all infused with a vivid sense of atmosphere. As well as accurate depictions of existing buildings, he also produced imaginary landscapes, called capricci, both on commission and to sell on the open art market. In 1747 Augustus III, King of Poland, invited Bellotto to move to Dresden, then part of Poland, where the artist was soon named court painter. Bellotto traveled to several other central European cities in subsequent years and painted cityscapes in each one; he lived in Vienna from 1759 to 1761, in Munich in 1761, and returned to Dresden in 1762. In 1767 he took up residence in Warsaw, where he became court painter to Stanislaw II, the last King of Poland, and remained in the city for the rest of his life. 

The Scuola of San Marco

Capriccio with the Colosseum

The Piazza della Signoria in Florence

 

Alexander Calder

"To an engineer, good enough means perfect.  With an artist, there's no such thing as perfect. "

-Alexander Calder, 1898-1976, American Sculptor

Alexander Calder was born in 1898, in Lawnton, Pennsylvania. He was born into a family of artists. His father Alexander Stirling Calder was a prominent sculptor who created many public sculptures in the Philadelphia area. Calder's mother, Nanette Lederer Calder, was a professional portrait painter who studied art in Paris before moving to Philadelphia where she met her husband Alexander Stirling Calder.

In 1902, at the age of four, Alexander completed his first sculpture - a clay elephant. In 1909, when he was in the fourth grade, Alexander sculpted a dog and a duck from a sheet of brass. The duck, which could rock back and forth, is one of his earliest examples of his interest in kinetic (moving) sculpture.

Although Calder's parents supported Alexander's creativity, they discouraged their children from becoming artists, as the life of an artist is often uncertain and financially difficult. In 1915, following his parents advice, Calder decided to study mechanical engineering, and enrolled in the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. Four years later he received his degree.

Calder's interest in art never left him. Though he had tried to please his parents by becoming an engineer, he decided to pursue a career in art instead.

In 1923 Calder began attending the Art Students' League in New York. While attending this school he also worked as a freelance artist for the National Police Gazette. For one of his assignments he spent two weeks sketching scenes from the Ringling Brother's and Barnum & Bailey Circus. This project marked the beginning of his fascination with the circus.

In 1926 Calder moved to Paris where he began to build toys that moved. Eventually his collection of toys became a miniature circus which performed in the USA and Europe.
Calder's interest in kinetic art led him to create mobiles. Many of his later works are large delicately balanced mobiles produced for public buildings throughout the world.
Alexander Calder died on November 11, 1976 in New York. He is most remembered for inventing the mobile.

Elephant (1928) by Alexander Calder | Wire and Wood

 

Lobster Trap and Fish Tail (1938) by Alexander Calder | Sheet Metal, Wire and Paint Mobile

Happy Birthday, Edouard Manet

(born January 23, 1832, Paris, France — died April 30, 1883, Paris)

Manet's debut as a painter met with a critical resistance that did not abate until near the end of his career. Although the success of his memorial exhibition and the eventual critical acceptance of the Impressionists—with whom he was loosely affiliated—raised his profile by the end of the 19th century, it was not until the 20th century that his reputation was secured by art historians and critics. Manet's disregard for traditional modeling and perspective made a critical break with academic painting's historical emphasis on illusionism. This flaunting of tradition and the official art establishment paved the way for the revolutionary work of the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists. Manet also influenced the path of much 19th- and 20th-century art through his choice of subject matter. His focus on modern, urban subjects—which he presented in a straightforward, almost detached manner—distinguished him still more from the standards of the Salon, which generally favored narrative and avoided the gritty realities of everyday life. Manet's daring, unflinching approach to his painting and to the art world assured both him and his work a pivotal place in the history of modern art.

The Spanish Singer, 1860
Édouard Manet (French, 1832–1883)
Oil on canvas

 

 

Boating, 1874
Édouard Manet (French, 1832–1883)
Oil on canvas 

 

 

 

 

A Matador, 1866–67
Édouard Manet (French, 1832–1883)
Oil on canvas

Young Lady in 1866, 1866
Édouard Manet (French, 1832–1883)
Oil on canvas

Tracey Emin

"I'm a terrible cook, but if I could cook, I would see that in art as well, it's how much creative energy you put into something."

- Tracey Emin, 1963, English Artist

(b 3 July 1963, London) English conceptual artist. A member of the Young British Artists group, Tracey Emin studied at the Maidstone College of Art in Kent, England. At Maidstone, she met Billy Childish – her future lover and founder of the “Stuckism” art movement. After graduating from Maidstone in 1986, Emin returned to London and receive her MA in painting from the Royal College of Art. 

 

In 1993, Emin paired with friend and fellow YBA artist, Sarah Lucas, to open The Shop; where the two worked and sold their art. In 1994 Emin had her first solo exhibition at the White Cube Gallery, London, entitled “My Major Retrospective,” which featured characteristically autobiographical material: photographs of personally destroyed old artworks mixed with artifacts from her private life. 

From 1995-8, Emin ran her own gallery named “The Tracey Emin Museum” in London. In 1996, Tracey Emin went to Stockholm where for two weeks she locked herself in a secluded space created inside the Galleri Andreas Brändström. Completely naked, Emin would sleep, eat and make her exhibition, while the public could watch through sixteen fish-eye lenses in the walls.* In 1997, what is considered her most iconic work, “Everyone I Have Ever Slept With (1963-95),” was included in Charles Saatchi’s landmark “Sensation” exhibition. Emin was short-listed for the Turner Prize in 1999 for “My Bed”; an installation piece that included a mattress with soiled sheets and personal detritus. 

Tracey Emin’s work employs a wide range of media: constructions, installations, paintings, drawings, written texts, embroidery, collage, neon signs, photographs and live performance. Her work has been described as self-exploitive, autobiographical, brutally honest and confessional. Tracey Emin lives and works in London. * Credit: Christie’s, London, Contemporary Art, February 8, 2001, Lot 30 

Tracey Emin
Tracey Emin's artworks, biography and articles

http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/

Untitled (Porchester Baths) 1988, oil on board, 28 cm x 26 cm

McNay T-Shirt Design Contest! Entries Due: 02-24-2012

McNay T-shirt Design Contest 

Entries due February 24, 2012

Click HERE to download the McNay T-Shirt Contest Entry Form  

Below are the rules and other information you need to create and submit your entry for the McNay T-shirt Design Contest. Your design could be sold at the McNay Museum Store and worn by McNay fans all over the country. Read all of the rules very carefully, failure to follow them could result in disqualification of your submision.



Prizes


Grand prize winner. In addition to having his or her Entry Design selected as the design for the McNay T-shirt (which the Museum Store will print and sell), the t-shirt’s sales tag will feature the winner’s name and a brief bio. The winner also receives a McNay individual membership and a $100 gift certificate to the Museum Store.



Second prize winner receives a Modern Art at the McNay catalogue and a $50 gift certificate to the Museum Store.



Third prize winner. The third prize winner will receive two general admission tickets to the McNay Art Museum and a $25 gift certificate to the Museum Store.



Design Guidelines

Your design must be inspired by the McNay Art Museum.
Your design should include the words “McNay Art Museum” (although not mandatory).
Reproduction of works of art in the collection is not allowed, as it might infringe on the original artist's copyright.
T-shirt color can be either black or white.
Your design can only be on the front of the t-shirt.
You may submit up to three designs, but they must be submitted as separate entries.
Your design must be completely original. By submitting a design you are guaranteeing that you hold rights to everything on it, and that it does not contain any copyright material.

Design Specifications

· Your design may contain a maximum of four (4) colors (plus the shirt color).

· Design should not exceed 8 ½” x 11” inches.

It is best to create your design in a professional design program. If using Photoshop or other paint programs, then design must be no less than 600 dpi at 8 1/2" x 11" in dimension. If using Illustrator or Corel Draw, no dpi is required.
If design is hand-drawn it must be scanned and converted into a PDF file.
Please specify if your design is intended to be printed on a white or black t-shirt.
Your submission should be a PDF file no larger than 5MB. If you win we will ask you for the high resolution files.

Submission Agreement

· All submissions may be sent as an attachment to daniela.oliver@mcnayart.org or on a CD to



McNay Art Museum

Attn. McNay T-shirt Contest

6000 North New Braunfels

San Antonio Texas, 78209



· All submissions must be accompanied by the official McNay T-Shirt Contest Entry Form, submissions that do not include the form will be disqualified. Electronic submissions should include the completed form as an attachment. If you are unable to complete the form electronically please fax it to 210.824.0218.

· You must be 18 years or older to submit. If you’re younger you can still make a design, but it must be submitted on your behalf by a parent or guardian.

· The McNay Art Museum will have all rights to the winning design. By submitting you agree that if your design wins, it will be sold by the McNay Art Museum store on a t-shirt and other promotional items.

· We reserve the right to make adjustments to the winning design.

· You must submit your design by midnight Monday, February 24, 2012.

· Entries will be judged by the staff of the McNay Art Museum.

· These and other rules are elaborated in the legal agreement below.

· By submitting you are agreeing to all contest rules.



Click here to download the MCNAY ART MUSEUM T-SHIRT DESIGN CONTEST OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES

How Smartphones Are Changing Photography: The Numbers Are In

By Christina Bonnington  December 22, 2011

Although global smartphone adoption is still just below 30 percent, smartphone photography is growing in popularity, disrupting traditional camera use in the process.

NPD made this trend clear in its Imaging Confluence Study, which found that smartphones accounted for 27 percent of photos shot this year — last year, the number was 17 percent. Accordingly, photos shot with dedicated cameras dropped from 52 to 44 percent.

Smartphone camera usage is way up in casual applications. Image: NPD Group

“There is no doubt that the smartphone is becoming ‘good enough’ much of the time; but thanks to mobile phones, more pictures are being taken than ever before,” NPD’s Liz Cutting said in a statement. In short, before smartphones hit the scene, most people found themselves without a camera during unexpected photo opportunities. But now smartphones help ensure we always have an image-capture device at hand — and they’ve trained us to take more photos.

What’s more, today’s smartphone cameras actually yield acceptable image quality. That 5MP or even 8MP hardware on the back of your mobile phone now rivals the sensors of larger point-and-shoots, giving us yet another reason to snap an image in the field.

And it’s not just average Joes who think that smartphones make a decent camera. Famed celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz said that the iPhone is “the snapshot camera of today” and that it’s “accessible and easy” during a November appearance on NBC. And how’s this for a telling statistic: In June, the iPhone 4 surpassed the Nikon D90 and Canon EOS 5D Mark II as the top camera on Flickr.

The iPhone has even been used in place of a traditional camera to document war in Afghanistan and to snap memorable photos of the Tour de France. Apple’s decision to choose popular photo-sharing social network Instagram as its 2011 iPhone app of the year is also a nod to the trend and popularity of smartphone photography.

An independent U.S. filmographer even shot a full-length movie with a Nokia N8 smartphone. The film, Olive, stars 81-year old Oscar nominated actress Gena Rowlands, and is regarded to be the first feature film ever shot completely with a smartphone.

“Mobile photography is great because it has such a low barrier to entry,” Sincerely community manager and mobile photographer Doc Pop says. “Without a large investment, anyone can get into photography. Most folks already own a phone with a camera on it, and most of my favorite photo apps are under a dollar.”

Not surprisingly, camcorders and low-end point-and-shoots are suffering the most from the shift toward smartphone photography. The general-purpose point-and-shoot market saw a drop of 17 percent, while pocket camcorders and flash camcorders dropped 13 and 8 percent, respectively. Indeed, why carry around a cheap cam for snapshots when your smartphone does a passable — or even better — job?

Nonetheless, for special events, single-purpose cameras are still the de facto choice. Purchases of spendy mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras and DSLRs went up 12 percent this year.

In the future, though, dedicated cameras — especially point-and-shoots — may need to take a page from the smartphone book in order to stay relevant.

“I believe the photo apps available for the iPhone right now are a glimpse into the future of what the next wave of cameras have in store for us,” Doc Pop says. “Within five years, app stores and internet connectivity will be standard on any point-and-shoot camera.”